Duct connector

ABSTRACT

A duct connector for a ventilation system includes a connector housing defining a connector flow path and a damper flap coupled to the connector housing. The damper flap is arranged within the connector flow path for movement between a closed position blocking air flow through the connector flow path and an opened position allowing air flow through the connector flow path.

PRIORITY

This Application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/111,127, filed Nov. 9, 2020, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective and diagrammatic view of a ventilation system showing a duct and a duct connector sectioned through a centerline of the duct and the duct connector;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the sectioned duct and the duct connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the duct sectioned through the centerline and the duct connector coupled to the duct; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the sectioned duct connector of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A ventilation system 10, in accordance with the present disclosure, is shown in FIG. 1 as including a fan assembly 20, a duct connector 30, and a duct 40 coupled to the duct connector 30 for conveying air from the fan assembly 20 to a downstream exhaust location 42. The fan assembly 20 may be mounted to one or more structures surrounding a living space of a building (not shown) for ventilation of air from the living space to the downstream exhaust location 42. The fan assembly 20 may include a fan housing 22 and a blower 24 located within or near the fan housing 22 to displace the air from the living space. The duct connector 30 may be coupled to the fan housing 22 to interconnect the fan housing 22 to the duct 40 to establish a flow path between the living space and the downstream exhaust location 42.

The duct connector 30 may be mounted to a sidewall (not shown) of the fan housing 22 to direct the air flow displaced by the bower 24 to the duct 40. The duct connector 30 includes a connector housing 100 having an inlet 102 to connect to the fan housing 22 and an outlet 104 to connect to the duct 40. In one embodiment, the inlet 102 of the duct connector 30 may be approximately rectangularly shaped and the outlet 104 may be approximately circular in shape. In other embodiments, the connector housing 100 may include any suitable shape at inlet 102 and outlet 104 such that the duct connector 30 may be used to interconnect a fan housing to a duct.

The duct connector 30 extends generally along a centerline 105 and defines a connector flow path 106. The duct connector 30 further includes a damper flap 108 arranged to lie within the connector flow path 106 as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The damper flap 108 is mounted to the connector housing 100 for pivotable movement about a flap pivot axis 110 between a closed position blocking air flow through the connector flow path 106 and an opened position in which air may be conveyed from the fan housing 22 to the duct 40. The damper flap 108 is configured to block flow of air from the duct 40 toward the fan housing 22 when the damper flap 108 is in the closed position. The flap pivot axis 110 may be offset from the centerline 105 of the connector housing 100. The damper flap 108 may be shaped such that gravity biases the damper flap 108 to the closed position against a raised edge 112 of the connector housing 100. In some embodiments, the duct connector 30 may include a biasing element such as a spring (not shown) to bias the damper flap to the closed position. When the blower 24 is in operation, the displaced air flow applies a pressure or force on the damper flap 108 sufficient to pivot the damper flap 108 about the flap pivot axis 110 to the opened position so that air may flow downstream through the connector flow path 106 to the duct 40.

The connector housing 100 of the connector duct 30 includes a sump 114 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The sump 114 is configured and located to collect moisture that may condensate or otherwise collect on portions of the duct connector 30 or from the inside surface of the duct 40 from the air in the connector flow path 106 or the duct 40. The moisture may be retained in the sump 114 until it evaporates (i.e. by convection during further operation of the fan assembly 20). In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the sump 114 is formed in a lower wall 116 of the connector housing 100. The sump 114 defines a recessed pocket in the lowermost portion of the lower wall 116 of the connector housing 100 to collect moisture that flows downwardly toward the sump 114 due to gravity.

In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the sump 114 is configured to have a rectangular shaped depression in the bottom side of the connector housing 100 providing a lower collector surface 118 that is spaced radially further below the centerline 105 than the surrounding portions of the connector housing 100. In one embodiment, the lower collector surface 118 is spaced further below the centerline 105 than any other portion of the inner surface of the connector housing 100. The lower collector surface 118 extends only partway circumferentially around centerline 105. In some embodiments, the sump 114 may be configured to have another shape such as a circular or oval bowl, for example. Any suitable shape may be used for the sump 114 to collect moisture as described herein. Inner surfaces of the connector housing 100 may all be shaped and angled such that condensation formed on the connector housing 100 flows toward the fluid collector 114 no matter where the condensation forms on the duct connector 30.

In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the sump 114 is located upstream of the damper flap 108 to retain the collected fluid outside of the duct 40. In this way, mold and mildew formation in the duct 40 is avoided and the sump 114 is positioned where it can be reached by a user or technician for cleaning and maintenance. In other embodiments, the sump 114 may be located downstream of the damper flap 108. Some retrofit installations of ducts require insulation and/or a condensation trap somewhere along the length of the duct. By including the sump 114 in the duct connector 30, these additional components may be avoided.

The duct connector 30 further includes a lip seal 120 coupled to an outer surface 122 of the duct connector 30 adjacent to the outlet 104 to mount the duct 40 to the duct connector 30 while providing a leak-tight seal therebetween. The lip seal 120 is made from an elastomeric material or another suitable material for sealing between the duct 40 and the duct connector 30, such as a rubber material. The material of the lip seal 120 may be different than a material forming the connector housing 100. The lip seal 120 may partially deflect when the duct connector 30 is inserted into the duct 40 to grip the duct 40 and block removal of the duct 40 from the outlet 104 after attachment. With the lip seal 120, the ventilation system 10 may be assembled without using any adhesive tape or other connectors to secure the duct 40 and the duct connector 30. This configuration provides a reduction in maintenance because adhesive tapes typically have a lower useful life than the duct 40 and the duct connector 30 and may fail, thereby allowing air to leak from the ventilation system 10 or cause separation of the duct 40 from the duct connector 30. The lip seal 120 may also dampen vibrations caused by operation of the blower 24 or the air flow moving through the ventilation system 10, thus reducing noise in the ventilation system 10.

The lip seal 120 may have one or more annular ribs 122 that extend circumferentially around the outlet 104 of the duct connector 30. Illustratively, the depicted lip seal 120 provides three ribs 122 that are spaced apart from one another along the outlet 104 of the duct connector 30, although any number of ribs may be used to provide the lip seal 120. Each rib 122 may be overmolded onto the outlet 104 to be integral therewith, or each rib 122 may be formed separately from duct connector 30 and subsequently added to the duct connector during assembly. Each rib 122 has a convex downstream surface 124 and a concave upstream surface 126 such that an distal end 128 of each rib 122 points upstream away from the duct 40. This shape may help to retain the duct 40 to the duct connector 30 and may allow each rib 122 to flex slightly by compression from the duct 40 to provide a better seal between the duct 40 and the duct connector 30.

The duct connector 30 may also be configured to form a leak-tight seal between a downstream side 142 of the damper flap 108 and an upstream side 140 of the damper flap 108 by including a damper seal 132 as shown in FIG. 4. The damper seal 132 is located at an interface 134 between the damper flap 108 and the connector housing 100, preferably at raised edge 112. The damper seal 132 may be coupled to the damper flap 108 to move therewith, or the damper seal 132 may be coupled to the connector housing 100 in a fixed position relative to the damper flap 108, preferably at raised edge 112. The damper seal 132 is preferably made from an elastomeric material or another material suitable for providing a seal between two components. The material of the damper seal 132 may be different than a material forming the connector housing 100 and the damper flap 108. The damper seal 132 may be overmolded onto the damper flap 108 or the connector housing 100 to be integral therewith, or the damper seal 132 may be molded separately and subsequently coupled to the damper flap 108 or the connector housing 100 during assembly.

The damper seal 132 optionally includes a downstream seal portion 136 coupled to a downstream side of the damper flap 108 and positioned above the flap pivot axis 110 and an upstream seal portion 138 coupled to an upstream side of the damper flap 108 and positioned below the flap pivot axis 110 as shown in FIG. 4. The downstream seal portion 136 is urged into engagement with an upper portion of the raised edge 112 formed on the connector housing 100 when the damper flap 108 is pivoted to the closed position. The upstream seal portion 138 is also urged into engagement with a lower portion of the raised edge 112 of the connector housing 100 when the damper flap 108 is in the closed position. It should be noted that the raised edge 112 may also include lateral sidewall portions (not shown) such that the raised edge 112 extends substantially or completely around the centerline 105 to engage with corresponding portions of the damper seal 132 coupled to the damper flap 108. In other embodiments, the damper seal 132 may be fixed to the raised edge 112 of the connector housing 100.

In addition to the purposed for preventing backflow known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the damper seal 132 is configured to seal an upstream portion 140 of the connector flow path 106 from a downstream portion 142 of the connector flow path 106 when the damper flap 108 is in the closed position so that moisture collected in the sump 114 is not blown into the fan housing 22. This reduces the possibility of mold or mildew formation in the fan housing 22.

The duct connector 30 may also be configured to form a leak-tight seal between the connector housing 100 and the fan housing 22 by including a housing seal 150, an example of which is indicated in FIG. 4. The housing seal 150 is located at an interface 152 between the fan housing 22 and the connector housing 100. The housing seal 150 is coupled to an attachment flange 154 of the connector housing 100 that cooperates with a complementary portion (not shown) of the fan housing 22 to secure the duct connector 40 to the fan housing 22. In some embodiments, the connector housing 100 may not include an attachment flange 154 and the housing seal 150 may be placed in a different location at an interface between the duct connector 30 and the fan housing 22.

The housing seal 150 may be overmolded on the connector housing 100 to be integral therewith, or the housing seal 150 may be formed separately from the connector housing 100 and subsequently coupled to the connector housing 100 during assembly. The housing seal 150 may be made from an elastomeric material or any other material suitable for sealing between the duct connector 30 and the fan housing 22. The material of the housing seal 150 may be different than a material forming the connector housing 100. The housing seal 150 blocks air and moisture from passing between the fan housing 22 and the duct connector 30 so that any condensation formed on the duct connector 30 stays in the sump form 114 for evaporation. 

1. A duct connector for a ventilation system, the duct connector comprising a connector housing defining a connector flow path, a damper flap coupled to the connector housing and arranged within the connector flow path for movement between a closed position blocking air flow through the connector flow path and an opened position allowing air flow through the connector flow path, and a sump coupled to the connector housing and configured to collect moisture or condensation that forms on other parts of the duct connector and to retain the excess moisture or condensation.
 2. A duct connector for a ventilation system, the duct connector comprising a connector housing defining a connector flow path, a damper flap coupled to the connector housing and arranged within the connector flow path for movement between a closed position blocking air flow through the connector flow path and an opened position allowing air flow through the connector flow path, and a lip seal on the connector housing and configured to seal between the connector housing and a duct that is coupled to the connector housing without the use of other sealing components.
 3. A duct connector for a ventilation system, the duct connector comprising a connector housing defining a connector flow path, a damper flap coupled to the connector housing and arranged within the connector flow path for movement between a closed position blocking air flow through the connector flow path and an opened position allowing air flow through the connector flow path, and a damper seal coupled to at least one of the connector housing and the damper flap and configured to seal an interface between the connector housing and the damper flap when the damper flap is in the closed position.
 4. A duct connector for a ventilation system, the duct connector comprising a connector housing defining a connector flow path, a damper flap coupled to the connector housing and arranged within the connector flow path for movement between a closed position blocking air flow through the connector flow path and an opened position allowing air flow through the connector flow path, and a housing seal on the connector housing and configured to seal an interface between the connector housing and another structure of the ventilation system upstream of the damper flap. 